The Northman

"Conquer your fate."

2022 2h 17m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 5,327

ActionAdventureFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Prince Amleth is on the verge of becoming a man when his father is brutally murdered by his uncle, who kidnaps the boy's mother. Two decades later, Amleth is now a Viking who's on a mission to save his mother, kill his uncle and avenge his father.

“Conquer your fate.”

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Cast

Alexander Skarsgård
Amleth
Nicole Kidman
Queen Gudrún
Claes Bang
Fjölnir the Brotherless
Ethan Hawke
King Aurvandil War-Raven
Anya Taylor-Joy
Olga of the Birch Forest
Gustav Lindh
Thórir the Proud
Elliott Rose
Gunnar
Willem Dafoe
Heimir the Fool

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Eggers
Writers: Sjón, Robert Eggers
Languages: English, Icelandic
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $70M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 99% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 4 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Icelandic.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Eggers, shot by Jarin Blaschke. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Sebastian Gainsborough. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Louise Ford shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Alexander Skarsgård and Nicole Kidman and Claes Bang carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Eggers directs. Jarin Blaschke behind the camera. Sebastian Gainsborough scores. Louise Ford cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Icelandic.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $70M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Earned back only 99% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 4 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Icelandic.
5Directed by Robert Eggers, shot by Jarin Blaschke. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Sebastian Gainsborough. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Louise Ford shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Alexander Skarsgård and Nicole Kidman and Claes Bang carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Conquer your fate.".
10IMDB entry: tt11138512 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 24 themes, including "sword", "prince", "gore", "vikings (norsemen)".

The technical file

Cinematography: Jarin Blaschke
Original score: Sebastian Gainsborough
Editing: Louise Ford
Production design: Craig Lathrop
Costume design: Linda Muir
Makeup / hair: Robyn Wheeler
VFX supervisor: Angela Barson
Sound: Paul Cotterell
Stunt coordinator: Jón Viðar Arnþórsson
Runtime: 137 min · 2h 17m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $70,000,000
Box office: $69,633,110
Return: 99% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Northman (2022)

Also by

Robert Eggers

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-04-18
★ 7/10
First things first - there is virtually nothing original with the plot here. A young prince "Amleth" (Oscar Novak who later morphs into an effective Alexander Skarsgård) witnesses the murder of his father "King Aurvandil" (Ethan Hawke) and the capture of his mother "Gudrún" (Nicole Kidman) by his treacherous uncle "Fjölnir" (Claes Bang). Lucky to escape with his life, he escapes to the land of the Rus where he is soon a capable and powerful warrior. When he learns that the traitor was, himself, deposed and now lives in the inhospitable Iceland, he decides to impersonate one of a group of slaves being sent to his farm so as to wreak his revenge. There are a few twists to the otherwise largely predictable plot - he meets the enigmatic "Olga" (Anya Taylor-Joy) and comes into possession of a deadly sword that can only be drawn at night; but what really makes this stand out is the gritty, dark and enthralling production. The headlines actors actually feature pretty sparingly, though we get a little more Kidman towards the end, and that's no bad thing. It leaves us to enjoy a storyline that draws heavily on the compelling Norse mythology. Not just of Odin, Freya, Valhallah and the like, but of the whole cult of nature; of animalistic behaviour amongst man and beast alike. It draws on a symbiotic relationship with the environment that tests the faith of pagan and Christian alike. It is brutal, but somehow not gratuitous. That's how man treated man; women were little better than breeding chattels and children were even further down the food chain. Robert Eggers has put much more meat on the bones than almost any similar depiction from this hugely rich and enthralling vein of mythology that mixes fact, fiction, fantasy, mysticism and fear very well. It's 2¼ of well paced adventure that looks stunning on a big screen and is well worth a watch there before it loses much of it's grand scale potency on a telly.
r96sk2022-04-27
★ 9/10
It took me a little while to get into it, but by its conclusion 'The Northman' had fully entertained me. Great film! First and foremost, I'm delighted that I did indeed enjoy this film as my only previous experience of director Robert Eggers was the - in my opinion, and apparently my opinion only! - severely unsatisfying '<a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-lighthouse-2019/" rel="nofollow">The Lighthouse</a>'. It's unmistakable that this 2022 flick is made by the same person, but happily the outcome is far greater. The cast are top notch. Alexander Skarsgård and Anya Taylor-Joy are the two standouts, the latter of which is doing big things lately; she is excellent in the most recent season of television show 'Peaky Blinders', fwiw. Claes Bang, Ethan Hawke and Nicole Kidman are all very good. Willem Dafoe too, naturally. The story is super absorbing, even early on when I was a tad unsure I was still very invested in what was happening onscreen. The dialogue is a big reason for that, as is the thumping score. At times it can feel like it might become too talky and full of itself in regards to its own mythology and all that, though thankfully it never strays into those realms. It also delivers plenty of action, alongside some good ol' violence as well - the ending is quality in that regard, among other reasons too. Go watch!
Chris Sawin2022-04-30
★ 8/10
The Northman is a bloody and ferocious battle cry of a revenge film. The action is brutal and the performances are extraordinary. This is Robert Eggers at his most savage and masterful. Full review: https://boundingintocomics.com/2022/04/25/the-northman-review-a-gory-viking-epic-forged-in-boisterous-greatness/